Retractable Handheld Exercise Apparatus

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for a retractable handheld exercise apparatus. The methods and systems generate a movement similar to upper body ski poling whereby a pair of handheld units [A] are connected to a fixed object by an attachment means [B] and are moved in an upper body walking motion to and from the fixed attachment point along a cable [C]. The apparatus includes functionality to increase or decrease tension which changes the amount force required to pull the unit away from the fixed point. In this way, the apparatus provides a simulation of uphill or downhill movements. Models with greater relative tension could be offered for individuals of greater weight as well as those who desire more vigorous exercise. Handles with varying sizes and cords of varying length would accommodate individuals with different hand and arm size, respectively. Handles with greater absolute weight would increase the difficulty overall while removable weight bands allow users to vary the weight of the unit by routine. One example could be 1 lb while another could be 5 lb or more. When the unit is not in use, a removable storage clips house the units safely on a fixed device (e.g., treadmill).

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 63/169,981 filed Apr. 2, 2021, titled RetractableHandheld Exercise Apparatus the entire contents of which areincorporated by reference herein, for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to providing adjustably-resistant, yetfluid, back-and-forth motion to the arms and upper body of a stationaryuser by pulling the individually attached handles to and from theirattachment point in a cross-country ski poling motion. The inventionbears a handle containing a spooled cable that extends and attaches to afixed object. The handheld, spooled end of the cable is tracked throughthe handle itself through built-in pulleys into a retractor spring-basedcable spool. The retractor spring itself can be wound to vary itsresistance using a push-to-turn knob.

RELATED ART

Many exercise devices have attempted to provide back-and-forth armmotion resistance to stationary exercisers. With regard to purpose-builtaerobic machines such as standup elliptical trainers, dedicatedhandlebars are linked directly to the resistance mechanism to provideback-and-forth arm resistance. Others have patented bulky add-ons toexisting treadmills. NordicTrack went so far as to incorporate an upperbody ski poling simulation mechanism within its NordicTrack Classic ProSkier.

With regard to stationary users who do not possess an underlyingexercise machine, various systems of pulley-guided or elastic, handheldcords have been developed to simulate upper body ski poling. Thesesystems are typically semi-permanently affixed to a doorframe, doorknob,or other solid point.

Adding adjustable upper body resistance to exercise devices that do notalready incorporate upper body motion naturally (e.g., ellipticaltrainers and the NordicTrack Classic Pro Skier), adjustable tension) hasrequired expensive, bulky add-ons that are not portable. By contrast,those which are more portable (e.g., elastic bands) are not typicallyadjustable. The Retractable Handheld Exercise Apparatus is designed tobe both portable and adjustable, as well as inexpensive.

SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS

The present invention comprises a novel means to simulate cross-countryski poling via a handheld, self-contained, and retractable cableapparatus. Easily removable, transportable, and adjustable, theextending cable is looped onto a stable attachment point such as atreadmill frame using multiple means in order to provide solid fixture.

Pulling the handheld unit away from the fixed attachment causes thecable to unspool from the internal, retractable cable spool system withlight resistance, while moving the handle toward the fixed attachmentwill cause the cable to retract back inside the handle, similar to aretractable dog leash.

The amount of force required to pull the handheld unit away from thefixed attachment varies based on tightening (clockwise) or loosening(counter-clockwise) the knob atop the axle around which the retractorspring is coiled.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a set of illustrations showing examples of how the exercisedevice may be used.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the entire apparatus including the innerworkings of the handheld unit [A].

FIG. 3 is a side view of the outward part of the left handheld unit [A]showing the knob.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the outward part of the right handheld unit [A]showing the knob.

FIG. 5 is a top view of how the knob fits within the body to coil theretractor spring.

FIG. 6 is a side x-ray view of the inward part of handheld unit [A]showing the retractor spring housing.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the lock teeth separated by the push-to-turnvariable resistance knob.

FIG. 8 is a side view of how the attachment means [B] is secured to afixed object.

FIG. 9 is a side view of an optional weight band strap that houses avariable weight mass as it would appear wrapped around the outerretractor spring housing.

FIG. 10 is a side view of a device storage unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to FIG. 1 , we see users of the device holding a handheldunit in each hand while in a stationary position such as walking on atreadmill, pedaling a recumbent bike, or in a non-ambulatory standing orsitting position. Users move their arms back and forth mimicking anactive walking manner as the cable is coiled and uncoiled within thehandheld unit itself.

FIG. 2 is an end-to-end illustration of the device including thehandheld unit [A], the attachment means [B], and the connecting cable[C] along which the handheld unit tracks to and from the attachmentpoint. The handheld unit body (02) houses the cable (04) that coilsaround the cable spool (06) which holds the retractor spring housing(08) at its core. The cable is guided through the handle portion usingthree fixed pulleys (10) and exits through two fixed, smaller guidepulleys (12). The variable resistance knob (14) sits in the up, or“free-spin” position, showing the knob post (16) as it stands within thebody (02) and extends down through the female lock teeth (18) which arefixed upon the body (02). Attached to the knob post (16) is a set ofmale lock teeth (20) which are separated from the retractor springhousing (08) by a main spring (22) wrapped around the knob post (16).Min/max stoppers (24) govern the variable resistance knob's (14)adjustment. The knob plunge (26) rests within the body's (02) hollowknob post housing (32) and is held up by a small plunge spring (34).Extending out to the attachment means [B] there is a sliding cord lock(36), sliding Velcro strap (38), cable clip (40), and carabiner cliphook (42), all of which contribute to establishing a solid cable [C]fixture.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the left handheld unit [A] lying flat, showingthe user's view of the variable resistance knob (14) in relation to theergonomic body (02) and the cable (04) exit point. Weight band hooks(43) protrude in order to attach optional weight band straps.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the right handheld unit [A] lying flat, showingthe user's view of the variable resistance knob (14) in relation to theergonomic body (02) and the cable (04) exit point. Weight band hooks(43) protrude in order to attach optional weight band straps.

FIG. 5 shows the knob post (16) assembly in relation to both the body(02) and the retractor spring (30). As assembled, the upper body section(02) containing the female lock teeth (18) would rest just below thevariable resistance knob (14) in order to align with the male lock teeth(20) on the post. The retractor spring (30) coils around the knob post(16) and is fixed to the post through a slit (28) which allows for theadjustment necessary to separate teeth locks (18) and (20) withoutdisplacing the retractor spring (30). The knob plunge (26) rests withinthe body's hollow knob post housing (32) and is held up by the smallplunge spring (34).

FIG. 6 is an exposed view of the retractor spring housing (08) lookingup from the smooth, inward side of the handheld unit [A]. The cable (04)goes around the cable spool (06) and is affected by the retractor springhousing (08) which contains both the knob post (16) containing the slit(28) for the retractor spring (30) and the retractor spring itself.Turning the knob post (16) in a clockwise direction (counter-clockwisefrom the user's opposite perspective) relaxes the retractor spring (30)within the retractor spring housing (08), while a counter-clockwise turn(clockwise from the user's opposite perspective) winds the retractorspring (30) more tightly around the knob post (16).

FIG. 7 is an exposed top view of the handheld unit [A] showing how the“Push to Turn” variable resistance knob (14) is used to modify tensionby disengaging the male lock teeth (20) from the female lock teeth (18).As the knob (14) is pushed down, the underside of the male lock teeth(18) presses down on the spring (22) and is opposed by the fixedretractor spring housing (08). At the same time, the knob plunge (26)presses down on the small plunge spring (34) to provide smoothresistance and overall knob post (16) stability. Once the male lockteeth (20) are separated from the female lock teeth (18), the variableresistance knob (14) can be turned in either direction, governed only bythe min/max stoppers (24). Once the user dials the variable resistanceknob (14) to the desired tension level and stops pushing down, both themain spring (22) and the small plunge spring (34) serve to push the knobpost (16) up to the open, free-spin position while the male lock teeth(20) settle into their nearest symmetrical, locked position relative tothe female lock teeth (18).

FIG. 8 shows the attachment means [B] in use. To establish an attachmentthat will be fixed from all directions, the cable (04), which may varyin length where some instances are 2 ft and other instances are loft ormore, is fixed to a carabiner clip hook (42) using a cable clip (40).During use, the cable (04) is looped around a fixed object and clippedback onto the cable (04) itself using the carabiner clip hook (42). Thesliding cord lock (36) is then pressed open to slide and lock flush withthe most tightly-looped part of the carabiner clip hook (42). The finalsecure attachment step is to wrap the sliding Velcro strap (38) aroundthe fixed attachment point itself and/or the connection point of thecord lock (36) and carabiner clip hook (42).

FIG. 9 shows an optional weight band. Available in varying weights, theuser can attach the weight band using the associated weight band hooks(43). Variable handle weights allow users to adjust ski polingdifficulty from one workout to the next.

FIG. 10 shows a device storage unit which is large enough to accommodatethe handle, yet smaller than the flared tip so that it hangs from theflared tip end with the cord exit pointing upward when not in use.

Different embodiments may include:

-   -   1) Models with greater relative tension.    -   2) Handles with greater absolute weight.    -   3) Handles with varying sizes.    -   4) Cords of varying length.    -   5) Removable weights attached to the round, cable spool portion        of the handle so that the user can vary the amount of handle        weight by routine. One example could be 1 lb while another could        be 5 lb or more.    -   6) Removable storage clip mounts to house the units on a fixed        device (e.g., treadmill) when not in use.

What is claimed as new is as follows: With so few ways to provideupper-body aerobic resistance to treadmills and other stationarypositions, this adjustable, handheld upper body exercise devicesimulates ski-poling style upper body exercises from any fixed point.This device can also be used while seated in a chair or standing still.This device also adds upper body ski poling resistance to fixed exercisemachines like treadmills and recumbent stationary bikes. When used assuch with a machine, this device allows the user to maintain a slightlymore rapid pace if desired. This is accomplished by increasing theadjustable tension which forces the user to pull back with greaterforce, thereby simulating an uphill motion. Therefore, I claim: 1) Aretractable, handheld upper body exercise device with an attachmentmeans connected via retracting cable that is spooled from within thehandheld units. The handheld unit is moved to and from the attachmentpoint by the user which adds light, ski-poling resistance to the user'supper body walking motion. 2) A retractable, handheld upper bodyexercise device in claim 1 further comprising a retractor spring whosetension can be adjusted via a push-to-turn, self-locking post thathouses the core of the retractor spring itself. 3) A retractable,handheld upper body exercise device in claim 1 further comprising anattachment system allowing it to be safely secured to a wide variety offixed points. 4) A retractable, handheld upper body exercise device inclaim 1 further comprising handles that differ between left- andright-hand units yet are identically symmetrical to fit the left- andright-hand palms, respectively 5) A retractable, handheld upper bodyexercise device in claim 1 further comprising a handheld unit which isflared on both ends to prevent slippage and is ergonomically designed tobe easily gripped by most everyone. 6) A retractable, handheld upperbody exercise device in claim 1 further comprising a series of pulleysbuilt into the handle unit[s] to guide the cable consistently to andfrom its handle exit point and to further aid in the fluidity of thecable's progression through the handheld unit. 7) A retractable,handheld upper body exercise device in claim 1 further comprising ahandle that is dome-shaped at the tip near the external cable exit pointallowing the user's arms to swing more freely and with the leastpossible amount of friction on the cable as it moves through thehandle's exit point.